Berlin – Florian Müller has been an integral part of the Berlin fashion world for 20 years. Insiders know him as a PR professional and guest manager at Fashion Week shows. Furthermore, in recent years he has continued his training, building on his previous studies in psychology to work today as a psychotherapist.
Now she combines these two worlds, that of fashion and that of psychology, with her new project “Mental Health in Fashion” – an urgent, necessary and long-awaited idea. After all, working conditions like those in “The Devil Wears Prada” are no longer uncommon in the fashion industry. And things are slowly changing.
Portrait Florian Müller Credits: Müller PR
How did you come to launch your mental health initiative in the fashion industry?
My “Mental Health in Fashion” initiative was born out of a need to address the often overlooked challenges of mental health. In my twenties in the fashion industry, I’ve realized that the pressure to meet standards and expectations often leads to emotional stress. The constant pursuit of perfection, competition and uncertainty in this industry can have a significant impact on well-being.
I have also observed a high prevalence of mental health conditions, which have been brought into the industry by people or have developed as a result of the prevailing mindset and working structures.
Signals are also sent to the public that can have a negative impact on the mental health of the recipients, for example in the form of eating disorders. While I am aware of other biological and psychosocial risk factors outside the fashion industry that promote disease, I generally see a lack of awareness about this issue in my profession. I look at the entire supply chain and therefore speak of a complex and detailed picture of possible diseases in different contexts.
In my work environment, I believe it is important to promote mental health awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues. There needs to be a space in the fashion industry where people can find support without feeling like they are showing weakness.
When I realized that mental health is often overlooked in the fashion industry, it motivated me to take action and create a platform that promotes sensitivity and understanding. My goal is to create a dialogue that highlights the importance of mental health in the fashion industry, while building a community of support for those involved. I also think of people who are unaware of their illness, but also of those who cannot or cannot share it out of shame or oppression.
Is the fashion industry particularly unhealthy?
The fashion industry is often caught between its external glamor and internal challenges that can impact the mental health of industry workers. From the outside, the fashion industry is often associated with glamour, creativity and perfection. The audience focuses on the beautiful fashion shows, creative designs and extraordinary personalities that characterize the industry. This image can lead to neglecting or underestimating the real, often stressful, aspects of the fashion industry.
What are those?
Internally, many people in the fashion industry experience significant stress, which can negatively impact their mental health. Constant competition, high expectations, job insecurity and physical aesthetic demands can lead to stress, anxiety and other mental health problems. The pressure to always be perfect and meet often unrealistic standards can lead to an unhealthy work environment. I would even say that the fascination with the wonderful world also blinds those in the sector and prevents them from recognizing the problems.
Mental health in fashion Credits: Müller PR
Another topic covered is the unhealthy consumption of fashion, which is also the cause of various sustainability problems and is therefore of particular importance. Clothing purchasing decisions can affect not only our mental health, but also the working and living conditions of people at the other end of the supply chain. In addition to well-known challenges such as overproduction, mountains of clothing, environmental pollution and waste of raw materials, this unhealthy consumption is central to sustainability considerations. For example, a factory worker may develop a greater risk of depression and anxiety disorders due to dire working conditions and numerous existential problems.
What do you hope to achieve with the campaign?
My mental health initiative in the fashion industry aims to address the imbalance between public perception and internal reality. It is vital that we encourage the industry to talk openly about mental health. I want to create support mechanisms and raise awareness that anyone, regardless of position or prominence, can experience mental health issues. By encouraging this openness, we help break the stigma and create a healthier, more supportive environment in the fashion industry.
My goal is also to provide concrete measures that everyone can incorporate into their daily lives to promote their well-being by breaking the stressful structures of the fashion industry. In the long term, I hope that the campaign contributes to a positive change in the culture of the fashion industry to create an environment that places more emphasis on the quality of life of the people who work in this industry. Furthermore, I want the campaign to bring about positive changes not only within the fashion industry, but also beyond by using the reporting function of fashion in a positive way to raise awareness about mental illness in society.
What might the concrete steps look like? For example, what do you do yourself?
I would like to underline that mental health is a very individual journey and therefore there is no one-size-fits-all solution. This challenge requires a multifaceted approach that includes both personal practices and structural changes.
It is important to distinguish between preventative measures and pre-existing mental health problems that need to be addressed through professional psychotherapy outside of the work environment. At the same time, not all people are equally capable of working on their well-being. This may be due to precarious conditions in which basic needs are not met or to the fact that the problem is not recognized.
Personally, I consider regular self-reflection an important habit. This allows me to consciously pay attention to my emotions and stressors and develop strategies for coping with them. This practice is not only important to me, but it is also a central part of my teaching style. In my courses I encourage students to promote their mental health through reflection and show how this can be integrated into the context of sustainable business.
Another important point of attention is to integrate exercise into daily life. Exercise has been shown to have positive effects on mental health. Both in my personal life and in my teaching, I emphasize the importance of regular exercise as a preventative measure.
Maintaining social relationships is also fundamental. Both privately and in my teaching environment, I create space for social contacts to create a supportive community. This community building is an integral part of my curriculum as it provides emotional support and allows for the sharing of challenges.
Mental health logo in fashion world Credits: Müller PR
At the same time, I strive for structural change. Through my involvement in schools and universities, I seek to raise awareness of mental health and develop innovative educational concepts. An example of this is the course “Psychology and Sustainable Business Leadership”, which aims to provide my students with in-depth insight into the connection between psychology, sustainable business management and leadership skills.
Integrating my campaign into the education sector is vital and I am working to further expand this initiative. By combining personal practices and breaking down unhealthy structures, I hope to make a global contribution to promoting mental health, both for myself and for the communities I reach through my teaching.
What’s the next step?
With my movement “Mental Health in Fashion” I want to help bring about structural change. In the working context we need a standard that also takes into account the psychopathological aspect. There are rules about how office chairs should be ergonomically designed to prevent back problems. Why don’t we have rules about how to positively interact with people’s psyches? This is exactly what I’m working on right now.
I’m also developing a training concept for a fashion brand where I want to teach managers how to behave appropriately in specific situations. Many people know how to treat a bleeding finger in the event of an injury at work. But do they also know how to help people with panic disorder at work or what to do if someone in my office has acute psychosis? Many do not even know a number to call in this case to get emergency help for those affected.
In addition to my courses and conferences at international universities, the campaign will continue to have a direct presence in the fashion world. A panel discussion at the Seek fair in January and the introduction of the new category “Mental Health in Fashion” as part of Diane Pernet’s ASVOFF Fashion Film Festival in Paris are projects that contribute to this.
This article previously appeared on FashionUnited DE. Dutch translation and editing by Caitlyn Terra.
2024-01-08 10:06:46
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